Supervision Rules for Traveling PTAs and COTAs, State by State

A traveling PTA or COTA works under the supervision rules of the state the assignment is in, and those rules differ on whether the supervising therapist must be on site, how many assistants one therapist may supervise, and what the board wants on file before you start. Before you sign, read the assignment state's rule for your setting and ask the facility exactly who will supervise you and how.

By ProTherapy Staffing, published October 22, 2026.

Whose supervision rules apply on a travel assignment?

The rules of the state you are working in. A license by endorsement makes you that state's licensee, and a compact privilege carries the same duty: the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact, as enacted in Minnesota's statutes, says a licensee practicing under a compact privilege “shall function within the laws and regulations of the remote state.” Your home state's supervision rule does not travel with you.

That matters more for assistants than for therapists, because supervision is written into what an assistant may do at all. A PTA works under a physical therapist and a COTA under an occupational therapist, but how close that supervision must be, and how it is recorded, is set state by state, sometimes setting by setting.

How do PTA supervision rules differ between states?

The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy compares them in its Licensure Reference Guide. It counts 47 jurisdictions that use one level of PTA supervision in every setting and 6 that change it by setting. The common level is general supervision, where the supervisor “is available on a regularly scheduled basis to review the practice of the PTA.” Onsite supervision means the supervisor “is physically present and immediately available.”

The states that change it by setting are where a traveler gets caught out:

So the same PTA job title can mean a different working day in a Pennsylvania outpatient clinic than it did in a general-supervision state.

Is there a limit on how many PTAs one therapist can supervise?

In most states, yes. FSBPT's supervision ratio table lists 41 jurisdictions with a ratio and 12 without one. California, for example, says a physical therapist “shall not supervise more than two physical therapist assistants at one time.” Texas leaves it to the PT's professional judgment, and Florida has no ratio.

A ratio is the facility's problem to manage, but it becomes yours if the building is short of permanent therapists. Ask how many assistants your supervising therapist already oversees, and whether that therapist is permanent staff or another traveler.

If you want an assistant assignment checked against the state's supervision rule before you sign, ask a ProTherapy recruiter: Find my next contract.

What do COTA supervision rules look like?

There is no federation table for occupational therapy, so read the board's own rule. Two neighbors show how far apart they sit.

North Dakota's rule says an occupational therapist may not supervise more than three occupational therapy assistants at the same time. The OT and the assistant write a supervision plan covering competence, the frequency and methods of supervision, and periodic review. The OT must file a substantiation of supervision form with the board for each assistant before the assistant may practice, and a new supervisor files a new form. An OT who is away for more than one day must arrange supervision by another OT.

South Dakota's rule sets minimum hours instead. An assistant with less than one year of experience needs at least 10 hours of supervision from an OT for each 40 work hours, or 25 percent of scheduled hours. With more than a year, it is 4 hours per 40, or 10 percent. If a supervision agreement ends, the assistant and the OT must both tell the board in writing within 15 days.

For a traveler, a rule like North Dakota's means your start date depends on a form your supervising OT files, not just on your license.

What should I check before I sign as a traveling assistant?

  1. Read the supervision rule for the assignment state and your setting on the board's own site. Every board is linked from our state pages.
  2. Ask who your supervising therapist is, whether they are permanent staff, and how many assistants they already supervise.
  3. Ask whether the state needs a supervision plan or form filed before you start, and who files it.
  4. Ask how supervision works when your supervisor is off for more than a day.
  5. Get the answers in writing with the offer, next to your start date.

The PTA and COTA licensing guides cover the license itself.

Frequently asked questions

Does a PT Compact privilege let a PTA follow home-state supervision rules?

No. The compact text says a licensee practicing under a compact privilege shall function within the laws and regulations of the remote state, so the assignment state's supervision rule applies.

Is general supervision the same as the PT being on site?

No. FSBPT defines general supervision as a supervisor who is available on a regularly scheduled basis to review the PTA's practice, and onsite supervision as a supervisor who is physically present and immediately available.

Can a COTA start in North Dakota before the supervision form is filed?

No. North Dakota's rule says the supervising occupational therapist must file a substantiation of supervision form with the board for each assistant before the assistant may practice.

Sources

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